For decades, the Government Higher Secondary School in Tirumangalam has lacked a proper compound wall. Except for one side, where the compound wall is intact, on the other three sides, crumbling masonry debris and rubble reveal the extent of the school ground that lies unprotected.
The school was built in the early 1960s on about eight acres. From 2019-2020, girls are being admitted in the school and right now there are 400 students of which 35 are girls.
According to Mr. Devadoss, a resident of Mamsapuram, the school was built on a waterbody. As a result during heavy rain, overflow from nearby tanks floods the school as it lies on a lower incline. Now, with population density increasing around the school, whenever there is rain, as there is no compound wall, rainwater mixed with sewage stagnates within the school premises.
Another resident Malar points out that now with open access, stray cattle can be seen roaming in the ground during school hours and at night this quiet secluded space turns into a haven for tipplers and drug addicts. “A compound wall should be built to keep the children safe and also for the safety of residents near the area as we find it difficult to walk along the road at night,” she points out.
The broken compound wall of the Government Higher Secondary School in Tirumangalam. | Photo Credit: R. ASHOK
During working hours, residents say that the school staff can be seen monitoring those using the ground as an open access passage and shooing away stray animals roaming inside. Apart from the health hazard due to water stagnation, residents say that there is also fear of reptiles that seek shelter under the broken bricks.
According to sources, the Parent Teachers Association of the school had submitted a petition to the government seeking allocation of a mini sports stadium in the ground. It was hoped that this infrastructure would help in the erection of a compound wall.
“NOC had been obtained and the proposal was in the final stage and only allocation of funds was on the cards. Now, though there is a new dispensation, we hope that MLA M. Manimaran will take steps to move the project forward. It will help not just the students of the school but also children in the area who are interested in sports,” the source added.
The school has consistently shown a pass percentage of 95 percent in both Class X and Class XII board exams. Sources say that if a compound wall is raised, it would provide safety for the infrastructure in the school and students would shine in academics and also in sports.